814-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, December 18, 1999
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Kids like to help on the farm.
Unfortunately as many as 300
children are killed on farms nation
wide each year. In the county, at
least two children die every year
from farm injuries and many more
are injured.
Marilyn Adams knows the pain
of losing a son horn a farming
accident Her 11-year-old son suf
focated in a grain bin on the fami
ly’s lowa farm.
After his death, Adams founded
the national Farm Safety 4 Kids to
help other parents be aware of
potential farm hazards. Adams is
the keynote speaker at the SAFE
KIDS seminar, Feb. 10, from 9:30
a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cut Holid
Holidays are a good time for
families to get together to
strengthen family ties But, if we
aren’t careful, the holiday stress
and strains will overcome the
goodwill of the season Debra
Bryant, Wayne County
Cooperative Extension Agent
offers these thoughts on reduc
ing your stress this holiday sea
son
Try not to overdo it Being
tired causes more stress
Staying up late finishing gifts,
wrapping presents, or being out
at a party means you’ll be under
extra stress
If you know you’ll be up late,
plan a short nap the next day to
catch up No time for a
nap-reJax in a chair Put your
feet up for 20-30 minutes Keep
a family calendar and don’t
schedule several late nights in
the same week As a family, sit
down and decide what things
you will do and which things you
won’t Choosing rather than
doing everything means you’ll
all enjoy yourselves more
Expect some problems.
Anytime a group of people are
cooped up together, there will be
problems We can all be on our
best behavior for an hour or two,
but when the same people spend
a day or more together sparks
fly This can happen too, even
with immediate family mem
bers When a son or daughter
goes away to college and returns
home for the holidays, many
families experience problems
The young person is used to
being independent and may for
get family rules or to check their
plans with other family mem
bers Family members should
discuss this issue before the
problems start to avoid stress on
everyone
Nuts Require
Careful Storage
During December, nuts take a
prominent place on the grocery
list. Nuts are high in fat, howev
er, and can turn rancid quickly
without proper storage Rancid
nuts will rum whatever food
they flavor; therefore be sure the
nuts you purchase are fresh
Beware of “bargain” nuts -
they may not be such a bargain
after all. Be sure nuts have been
Workshop Teaches Parents How To Protect
The daylong workshop at the
Farm and Home Center, 1383
Arcadia Rd., Lancaster, is geared
toward parents.
Dr. Albert Price, retired pediat
rician, and Shari Keyser-Groff,
director of the county SAFE KIDS
Coalition, said the seminar will
focus on age appropriateness of
farm tasks and an introduction to
“First on the Scene for Farm Fami
lies” what you need to do to
increase chances loved ones will
survive.
Keyser-Groff said, “We are not
trying to tell parents how to run
their farm or how to raise their
family. But we offer guidelines for
making tasks safer. We teach child
developement principles to help
parents determine appropriate
ay Stress
Give yourself a break.
Let the kids go bowling or out
to a movie with friends, so that
adults can have some time
together or to rest. Plan an hour
to do something that is relaxing
or that you just would enjoy
doing.
Be a welcome visitor.
While visiting don’t overstay
your welcome. Call ahead to let
hosts know you will be coming
and when you will be leaving
If going to a party or for din
ner, call your hosts and offer to
take something Remember to
help out as much as possible
Don’t expect to be waited on
Try to be the kind of guest you
would like to have in your home.
Not only will there be less stress
for the hosts, but everyone will
be able to enjoy themselves
Ask for help when
you need it.
It’s no crime to admit you
can’t do it all. But don’t expect
someone to notice and offer you
help. Give family members
warning that you’ll need their
help and let them choose what
they want to do if possible
Working together on a project
can be lots more fun than doing
it yourself. Some unwilling
helpers may even find them
selves having a good time help
ing get the cards out or wrap
ping presents
Using some of these ideas
will help you relax and enjoy
your holiday season with family
and friends. If you would like
more information on reducing
stress in your life, contact
Wayne County Cooperative
Extension, 925 Court St,
Honesdale 18431 (570) 253-5970
ext 239.
sealed into airtight containers
and that they haven’t exceeded
their expiration date.
Taste before adding to food
At home, store airtight in a cool
place. You can refrigerate
shelled nuts for up to four
months, or you can freeze them
for up to six. Unshelled nuts
keep about twice as long as
those that are shelled.
Children On The Farm
tasks for their children.”
Children often help with farm
chores at an early age. It’s a great
way to teach responsibility and the
satisfaction that comes from hard
work. But too often, children ate
assigned tasks beyond their age
ability.
“Many deaths and injuries could
be prevented if parents understood
how a child develops before they
assign chores,” Price said.
Guidelines for mote than 62
agricultural jobs focusing on tasks
most commonly performed on the
farm have been developed by
North American Guidelines to
Children's Agricultural Tasks
(NAGCAT). These ate divided
into seven categories: animal care,
manual labor, haying operations,
implement operations, specialty
production, tractor fundamentals,
and general activities.
Guidelines are based on child
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Many non-rural residents
think of farm animals as charming,
docile creatures, but many child
ren die or are seriously injured
each year in livestock-related
incidents.
Adults should closely supervise
children working around large ani
mals, said a farm safety expert in
Penn State's College of Agricul
tural Sciences.
“Horses, cattle, llamas, emus
and ostriches can move suddenly
and quickly,” warned Dennis Mur
phy, professor of agricultural engi
neering. “These animals also can
kick and bite, causing significant
injuries.”
Murphy said parents should
gauge a child's ability to perform
tasks associated with large animal
care.
• Ability. Children must be
comfortable around large animals,
Murphy said. “An adult should
demonstrate how to work with
large animals on the site where the
child will work," he said. “The
adult should train the child on ani
mal behavior and closely supervise
the youngster at least five times
until he or she shows the ability to
do the job safely.”
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Farmers can assign appro
priate farm tasks to their children
using the newly developed North
American Guidelines to Child
ren’s Agricultural Tasks (NAG
CAT), according to a safety expert
in Penn State’s College of Agricul
tural Sciences.
Every year across the nation,
more than 100 children are killed
and approximately 100,000 are
seriously injured in incidents
involving agricultural machinery,
livestock, falls or other events.
“Matching chores to children’s
development is important,’’ said
Dennis Murphy, professor of agri
cultural engineering. “Injuries
may occur because parents overes
timate their child’s physical size
and age without taking into
Working With Large
Can Be Risky For Children
Guidelines Established For
Children’s Agricultural Tasks
development rather than age.
Chores need to be assigned by con
sidering a child’s coordination,
attention span, memory, balance,
strength, and reaction time.
To prevent injuries, a child
should never try to lift anything
such as feedbags that weigh
more than IS percent of his or her
body weight Children should be
taught proper lifting techniques to
prevent serious back strain or
injuries.
An adult should always demon
strate a chore such as feeding
calves and then watch a child safe
ly perform the task four to five
times before allowing the child to
feed calves without supervision.
Animals behave unpredictably,
so young workers must have quick
reaction and good peripheral vis
ion. The guidelines give steps to
enable parents to determine if a
child has appropriate peripheral
• Strength. A child should not
try to lift anything such as feed
bags that weighs mote than IS
percent of his or her body weight.
“Children also should not push
things that are heavier than IS per
cent of their body weight,” Mur
phy said. Parents should train their
children to lift properly, Murphy
said. Proper lifting techniques,
such as lifting with the legs rather
than the back muscles, can prevent
serious back strain or injury.
• Reactions. Animals behave
unpredictably, so young workers
must have quick reactions. Mur
phy also emphasizes that children
should have good peripheral vis
ion. “Children with limited vision
may not see obstacles or people in
the work area,” Murphy explained.
“Test peripheral vision by having
the child look straight ahead. The
child should be able to see your
finger enter his or her field ofvis
ion at shoulder level.”
Murphy said adults also should
ensure a safe working environment
before children are allowed to
work. At minimum, the work area
should have:
• If working in a closed build
ing, an effective ventilation
system.
account the ability to perform the
job. For farming jobs, you have to
consider balance, strength, reac
tion time, coordination, attention
span and memory.”
Murphy said, “Parents also can
underestimate the risk involved
with farm jobs because they may
feel their own child is
exceptional.”
The guidelines, developed by
the National Children’s Center for
Rural and Agricultural Health and
Safety, arc divided into seven
categories: animal cate, manual
labor, haying operations, imple
ment operations, specialty produc
tion, tractor fundamentals and gen
eral activities.
The guidelines are not based on
age, but rather on child develop
ment principles. “Children deve-
vision, eye-hand coordination, and
other skills necessary for each
task.
Other scheduled speakers at the
seminar include city firefighters
Brian Klugh and Lloyd Henry,
county extension agent Bob
Anderson and Dennis Murphy,
professor of agriculture at Penn
State.
SAFE KIDS Coalition is con
ducting the event in partnership
with St. Joseph Hospital, Lancas
ter General Hospital, and the Penn
State Extension. Financial suppor
ters ate Old Guard Insurance Com
pany, Southern States Coopera
tive, and New Holland North
America, Inc.
Cost is $ 10 for adults and $S for
high school students. Participants
can be from any state to attend.
To register or for more informa
tion, call SAFE KIDS at (717)
390-3801.
Animals
• All guards and shields in place
on feeding equipment
• No hazards in the work area.
• An escape route the child has
been trained to use.
• Animals with no diseases.
• A respirator fitted for the child
that the child knows how to use.
• A place for the child to change
clothes and wash hands after the
job.
When leading or grooming large
animals, Murphy recommends that
children not be allowed to lead an
animal until they have proved
themselves strong enough to con
trol the animal. “An adult must
demonstrate proper leading and
grooming techniques as well.”
Murphy said children should
always wear proper clothing when
working with large animals, parti
cularly steel-toed bools with non
skid soles.
Parents or other interested pro
fessionals can buy booklets of six
to 10 posters covering similar agri
cultural tasks or a professional
resource manual by calling Gemp
ler’s, a Belleville, Wis., safety
supply company, at
1-800-382-8473, or by visidng its
Web site: www.gemplers.com.
lop at their own pace,” Murphy
said. “One 10-year-old may have
no trouble doing a job that is well
beyond the capabilities of another
10-year-old.”
The center created guidelines
for 62 agricultural jobs, focusing
on tasks most children commonly
perform on the farm.
Limited details on each agricul
tural task are available on the
NAGCAT Web site at
www.nagcat.com. Parents or other
interested professionals can buy
booklets of six to 10 posters cover
ing a specific work category or a
professional resource manual by
calling Gempler’s, a Belleville,
Wis., safety supply company, at
1-800-382-8473, or visiting its
Web site: www.gemplers.com.